Elliott, 46, who previously served as senior vice president of merchandising, logistics and marketing at 7-Eleven Inc., joined the company on Nov. 26, 2012.

Elliott worked at 7-Eleven from 2001 to 2010, where he was responsible for overseeing the corporate store and franchise operations as well as 7-Eleven's national distribution network comprised of 26 distribution centers. He led many sales growth initiatives for the organization and delivered a steady increase of consecutive, annual same-store sales for eight years while maintaining strong margins.

He was also rumored to be a candidate for the top slot at 7-Eleven, filled by current CEO Joe DePinto, with the departure of Jim Keyes.

Elliott has worked as a consultant with a focus on retail distribution since leaving 7-Eleven.

As president and COO for Nash Finch Wholesale/Retail, Elliott will be responsible for the company's food distribution and corporate retail operations, reporting to Alec C. Covington, president and CEO of Nash Finch.

Elliott's top priority will be leading the company's sales-growth strategy, building on its customer/consumer focused approach to serving independent retailers and its quality execution. He will also focus on strengthening the performance of the company's corporate retail banners.

"Kevin Elliott brings extensive experience in driving top-line growth, which will serve us well in this economic environment," said Covington. "We have positioned ourselves for growth with the impressive programs we have built to serve our independent retailers including our private label and category management programs. Kevin's unique blend of distribution and retail experience makes him well suited to run our food distribution and retail businesses. We are excited to have Kevin join our team."

Nash Finch is one of the leading food distribution companies in the United States. Its core business, food distribution, serves independent retailers and military commissaries in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Azores, Egypt and Bahrain. The company also owns and operates a base of retail stores, primarily supermarkets under the Econofoods, Family Thrift Center, AVANZA, Family Fresh Market, No Frills, Bag 'N Save and Sun Mart names.

Plunge in oil prices sets the stage for record margins and boost in in-store sales. Also In This Issue: Profitability skyrockets for top performers! Other channels seek to redefine convenience! The economy enters a new stage. The growing health-and-wellness trend. Fuel demand; oil's slide; multicultural momentum; and data, data, data!

Since 2003 CSP magazine has ranked No. 1 in readership and market share over all other industry publications. C-store marketers have identified CSP as the preferred magazine source for their trade marketing communications. With industry-leading, highly targeted circulation to more than 100,000 subscribers, CSP reaches the key convenience retailing decision-makers fifteen times a year.